Courbet’s Radical Realism and Challenge to the Crinoline

Lucy Bowditch will address a particular concept in mid-nineteen century—specifically Realism—in light of Romanticism, contemporaneous politics, rural versus urban sensibilities, and the Industrial Revolution. She will frame Gustave Courbet as an unexpected proto-feminist in rejecting the crinoline, an index of the Industrial Age and marker of haute bourgeois culture.

Bio
Dr. Bowditch received her doctorate in Art History from the University of Chicago in 1994. She taught Modern and Contemporary Art for 26 years at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, where she is now a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Art History. Her courses have included Modern Art & Literature; Art Criticism and Contemporary Art. She is eclectic in her approach, integrating experiential learning with a focus on the social aspects of art history.

Her work is found in numerous publications including: Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism; History of Photography, The Photo Review; The New England Quarterly: A Historical Review of New England Life and Letters; Art Criticism; and Source: Notes in the History of Art.  Her scholarly contributions include chapters in Ecologies of Seeing (2016); Art in Time: A World History of Style and Movements (2014); Art & Place: Site Specific Art of the Americas (2011). Currently she is working on Gustave Courbet’s paintings from the 1850s. 

​This artist talk is made possible by the generous support of the Robert Lehman Foundation.

COVID-19 Policy 
Guests will be required to show proof of vaccination. The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts has removed the mask mandate for students, staff, faculty, models, and visitors inside of our buildings. 

The health and safety of our guests are of the utmost importance. We are regularly monitoring the guidelines of the CDC and will adjust our policies accordingly.